Dr. Kumar Gautam Anand
Examples: The state of his affairs was such as
to cause anxiety to his creditors.
Was: qualifies the subject ‘state’ not the word
‘affair’
 The bundle of books is very heavy.
 The call of the seas has always found an echo
in me.





He and I are playing.
Note: If the nouns suggest one idea to
the mind or refer to the same person or
thing, the verb is singular. Examples:
Time and tide waits for none.
The novelist and poet is dead.
Bread and butter is his only food.

Words joined to a singular subject by with, as
well as, etc. are considered parenthetical. The
verb should be therefore, in the singular.
Examples:
The house, with its contents, was insured.
Justice, as well as mercy, allows it.
The mayor, with his counselors, is to be
present.
Two or more singular subjects connected by
or or nor require a singular verb. Examples:
No nook or corner was left unexplored.
Note: When one of the subjects is plural the
verb is plural and the plural subject is to
be placed near to the verb. Examples:
 The captain(S) or his teammates(P) are
responsible for the defeat.


When the subjects joined by or or nor are of
different persons the verb agrees with the
nearer subject:

Examples:

Either he


or I am mistaken.
Neither you nor he is mistaken.
Neither my friend nor I am to blame.

Example:
Each of these books is mine.
 Many a man has succumbed to his

temptation.
Neither of them is expert in the subject.
 Many a student has joined the national serve

Scheme to serve the local community.
Every boy and every girl was given a packet of
sweets.
No boy and no girl was present there.
Every Tom, Dick and Harry wears suit these
days.


This news is true.
Politics is the last refuge of scoundrels.
Great pains have been taken.
Great is telling the number or quantity hence
plural verb is used.
 Much pains has been taken.
Much is showing an amount. Even if pains is
much or less, amount is single hence singular
verb.
Means in the sense of income always takes a
plural verb.
 My means are meager, I cannot afford this
luxury.



The God of Small Things is a good book.
Joys of Happiness is a good book.


Ten kilometers is a long walk.
Three parts of the cake is left for us.

Not only the officer but also six soldiers were

Not only the team mates but also the captain
killed.
was blamed for the defeat.

None of milk(uncountable noun) was left.
None +of+ plural


noun/pronoun/singular/noun(referring to a
group) takes singular verb or plural verb as
per the context.
None of the books were read.
But in formal English we use singular verb.

A rise in rents and wages has been found to
go together is incorrect.
When the word(A rise in) is repeated before
each subject and make the verb plural
 A rise in rents and a rise in wages have been
found to go together.